Sam Hall: Letting road cycling stop life from holding me back

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Noise, Vibration and Harshness engineer Sam Hall is gearing up to tackle the first stage of 2019 Tour de France route in memory of his father this weekend.

This ride means more to him than simply raising valuable
funds for charity or to remember a loved one. For him this is the opportunity
to do something he really enjoys once again.

Having cerebral palsy, Sam has always used cycling as a way
of keeping fit and to give him a sense of freedom only racking up miles in the
saddle can give.

In the past, he has taken on several large cycling tours,
including riding from Whitehaven to Sunderland over the course of three days
and tackling the London Ride 100. Now he has his sights set on the 120-mile
first stage of this year’s Tour de France, which begins in Brussels, Belgium.

“I am doing this ride for Prostate Cancer UK, as my dad was
diagnosed with it seven years ago,” Sam says. “Unfortunately, he passed away in
March, but it has spurred me on to give my all and complete it for him.

“I have been cycling since a young age, but really got into
it after my car continuously broke down and I needed some form of transport to
get to the shops. From there I have developed a love for the sport. I used to
ride 11 miles each day to and from work on a heavy mountain bike with semi-flat
tyres to increase the resistance so I could build up my strength.”

Although Sam has plenty of experience tackling large bike
rides already, his preparations for this ride have been far from ideal, as he
explains:

“I haven’t done anywhere near as much training for this ride
as I would have liked. Part of the reason is because of the operation I had
last August.

“I underwent some surgery to help with my cerebral palsy,
which was successful. However there were some side effects. Now my hands will
start to spasm out of the blue, and it can be quite painful.

“Before my operation, I used to think that my disability
didn’t used to affect me. But the problems with my hands has stopped me cycling
as much as I want.”

Even so, Sam is not letting this issue dampen his spirits,
as he aims to smash his £2,500 target for Prostate Cancer UK, before setting
his sights on an even more ambitious ride.

“This is definitely not it. I have other rides I would like
to try – potentially London to Paris or Amsterdam, or even Land’s End to John
O’Groats. But right now my focus is on Belgium.”